Responsible Influencers Know How To Be an Example to Others

The world watched in shock and disbelief!

Chris Rock was shocked as well.

We've experienced people who have worked hard for years to become celebrities, well-known thought leaders, famously opinionated podcasters, highly regarded musicians, elected politicians, and well-connected influencers making excuses for their bad behavior. Will Smith assaulting Chris Rock at the Oscars was just the latest example that everyone is talking about today.

A child watches everything their parents and older family members do and then imitates them. We usually find it funny and cute unless they blurt out some words we wish they hadn't overheard.

Our audience members watch everything we do but then, we assume, they judge our behavior before they decide to imitate it. I mean, you didn't see anybody else at the Oscars follow Will Smith's example and jump up to smack Chris Rock. But we have heard how people followed the leader when it came to hitting their teachers, eating Tide pods, or ingesting horse medicine. So you shouldn't blindly assume anything about people you don't really know.

My business partner, Toby Younis, and I are completing the cover for our new book, Livecast Life, together. We put our photos on the cover because we recognize we are influencers and the faces of our brand, AGK Media Studio, and our livecast products, Messages and Methods. We've worked for years livestreaming video, podcasting, and blogging to build an audience that looks to us for our advice and opinions. The visibility and credibility we've gained from that give us a certain amount of power as influencers.

With power comes responsibility.

If you are building a following of fans, representing your community as an elected official, or leading a group of entrepreneurs, you have a responsibility to set a good example for them. I feel like we as a society have forgotten this because anybody can livestream to YouTube and Facebook, launch a podcast or write a blog. Anybody else can watch that livestream, listen to that podcast or read that blog and act on the advice. Can we really expect everyone to use good judgment and be a positive influence?

What is the alternative?

Don't believe anything you see, hear or read. All advice is suspicious or wrong and everybody is out to make money for themselves no matter the consequences to anybody else. Everything is fake news and people are manipulating your emotions to get higher ratings and longer watch time.

I think we're seeing that alternative now.

The only way we can turn this around is to be the change we want to see in the world.

In our Messages and Methods show last week we summarized the Livecast Lifestyle, and our final point was to remind people to uplift others. Anytime we encourage people to create a video, podcast, or blog, it is also a good time to encourage them to stay positive and lead with love. When we recognize that meeting the needs of our audience is an honor and our core mission, then everything else falls into place. One important need for our loyal tribe members is that we as leaders offer a good example to follow.

You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want. — Zig Ziglar

Share Your Platform to Uplift Others

We recommend that once you've gained influence, use it to lift others up, help others with positive advice, and bring on guests to your livestream, podcast, or blog who help other people with positive advice. Be a helpful guest on other people's podcasts and help their audience promote others and provide help. That way your impact and leadership are enhanced and your professional reputation will grow stronger.

Here is a wonderful example of sharing your platform: Soccer legend David Beckham gave a Ukrainian doctor control of his Instagram account. She showed how she was caring for pregnant women and their babies in the war-torn area to his over 71.5M followers. The Washington Post.

Think about how you can partner with a cause or nonprofit to bring their message to your audience.

Weekly email. If you're putting out a weekly email and you see somebody who is not getting the attention you feel they deserve, talk about them in your weekly email and promote them. Lift them up.?

Offer low-cost and free resources. These are your lead magnets, opt-ins, and entry-level offers. We should always make great resources available to people so they get the help that they need. Then they'll step further into a relationship with you because it is valuable and beneficial.

Be a good example to other influencers in how you use your platform. Support those whose voices need to be heard. Ask yourself how else are you able to be a positive influence on people? How can you set an example?

I think as a person in the second half of life; we understand what it means to be a good example because most of us have our own children or there are children within our families or communities to whom we've been an example.?

We've had people in our lives who are an example to us. We know from personal experience what it is to be a good example.

Keep that in mind as you're taking action, appearing on camera, and posting your content.

One reason we want to livestream, podcast and blog is to leave a legacy, to show an example to other people of contributing positively to our community.

I would like to offer a choice of what to do instead of becoming violent when somebody says something you don't like. Take a moment to breathe and think.

I won't go down that road of anger because it doesn't set a good example for my audience, my friends, or my family.

Our next book, Livecast Life, will be available for sale on Amazon starting Friday, April 1, 2022.